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Contribution short abstract

This contribution analyses mining-related human rights violations in Mexico, the extractivist policies advanced by the country's progressive government, and the international mechanisms that communities on the front lines mobilise in pursuit of justice.

Contribution long abstract

This contribution offers a reflection on community-led resistance to gold mining in Mexico. The first proponent, Mariana Reyes, is a human geographer specialising in extractive industries, Indigenous self-determination, and climate change. She draws on research in Mexico and voluntary work with the UK-based NGO London Mining Network to examine the role of international solidarity in community resistance against mining. She reflects on the de facto avenues available to communities seeking to challenge transnational mining companies and to assert their rights in contexts marked by unequal power relations.

The second proponent, Angel Melgoza, is a filmmaker and political theorist who has documented the struggle of the Ejido El Bajío community as they pursue reparations from the mining company Fresnillo pln. Over the past decade, residents have engaged in a protracted legal battle against the company, which has not only extracted minerals from their lands without consent but has also perpetuated an environment of violence and harassment against local opponents. In 2022, a delegation from El Bajío travelled to London to attend the company’s Annual General Meeting and to meet with human rights organisations and public authorities—an experience captured in both written and film formats by Melgoza.

Together, the proponents contribute to the panel’s central theme by analysing mining-related human rights violations, the extractivist policies advanced even by progressive governments, and the international mechanisms that communities on the front lines mobilise in pursuit of justice.